#20: Rebecca Rusch - a podcast by Red Kite Prayer

Rebecca Rusch has what may be the ultimate nickname not just for a cyclist, but for any endurance athlete. She’s known as the Queen of Pain. And she has more than earned that nickname. She has won the Leadville 100 four times. She set the record for the Kokopelli Trail, and has seven world championships to her name, not to mention being the first woman to climb the 5.11c Bermuda Dunes route up El Capitan in Yosemite, which was also only the second ascent of that route ever. More recently, she has devoted herself to other pursuits that don’t involve standing on the top step of the podium, like her Gold Rusch series of rides which brought more women into mountain biking. Rebecca’s Private Idaho is a gravel ride which she recently expanded to include a stage race, held in her adopted home of Ketchum, Idaho. Arguably, her biggest undertaking ever was riding the whole of the Ho Chih Minh Trail to find the crash site of her father who flew in the Viet Nam war, and working with Red Bull to produce a documentary about the experience. I find Rusch to be a particularly compelling figure because so much of her career has been created from whole cloth. There’s no road map for an athlete’s career outside of training hard to go fast in races. Her relationship with her sponsor, Red Bull, has allowed her to try things that most companies focused on results would never sanction. And Red Bull hasn’t just allowed her to do these things, they’ve mentored her toward her highest self.

Further episodes of The Pull Cycling Podcast

Further podcasts by Red Kite Prayer

Website of Red Kite Prayer